The subject invention concerns a bite block or mouth prop to be used primarily as an aid in the conduct of dental surgical operations.
One advantage in using a bite block during dental surgical operations is the added comfort to the patient as he may relax his jaw muscles instead of tensioning them to keep his mouth open over prolonged periods.
One example of a prior-art bite block is the "Mouth Prop" sold by McKesson Equipment Co. of Great Britain Ltd. Bite blocks of this kind are used primarily within the health car but only sparingly in dental surgical operations. One reason for their rare use in dental surgical operations probably is that for such operations the dentist must also use pump and suction devices to remove saliva as well as amalgam and other filling debris. Considering that the dentist requires other tools and appliances to perform his work, the use of bite blocks would mean that the dentist's work space inside the patient's oral cavity would be very reduced.
Usually, only a saliva pump is placed in the patient's mouth while an assistant nurse holds and manually operates an aspirator to suck up large pieces of amalgam and other filling debris which come loose during the drilling and filling operations. However, this arrangement leaves much to be desired, since comparatively large amounts of mercury fumes and dust are freed when drilling operations are performed in amalgam fillings. Such fumes are detrimental to the health and should not be allowed to reach the patient's pharynx area. A reduction to an acceptable level of the amount of fumes and dust reaching the patient's pharynx would be possible only if the amalgam aspirator pipe were to remain in the patient's oral cavity during the duration of the dental surgical operation. The aspirator would then create a vacuum pressure inside the patient's oral cavity, preventing the dangerous fumes and dust from reaching the pharynx area and be swallowed by the patient.
No viable solution is available today to the problem of how to allow the amalgam aspirator to be accommodated inside the oral cavity of the patient and remain in that position during the entire dental surgical operation without causing discomfort to the patient or impeding the dentist's work.
Various dental appliances have been suggested to serve as aids in dental surgical operations for removal of filling debris, e.g. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,090,122; 3,924,333; 4,192,071; 4,024,642; and 4,281,986. These prior-art appliances are, however, quite bulky and designed in such a manner that they occupy a major portion of the patient's oral cavity. Quite apart from the discomfort to the patient, such bulky contraptions also are apt to initiate the patient's vomiting reflexes. In addition, they reduce the space in which the dentist is able to work and therefore they fail to function as efficient aids in dental surgical operations. More important still, from a technical viewpoint, is that these prior-art appliances are formed with a complicated system of suction channels, resulting in poor suction efficiency and obvious risks for obturation and blockage of the channels.